November 18, 2014

Become an Apple Watch developer Watchkit SDK out today

EDMONTON, AB, Nov 18, 2014/ Troy Media/ – Whether it is for Mac OS or Apple’s mobile iOS, it’s no secret that the success of the Apple App Store relies heavily on the development of apps by the developer community.

And today Apple has taken that innovation one step forward by opening up the development doors for the much-anticipated Apple Watch byannouncing the availability of Apple WatchKit– a software development kit [SDK] that gives developers a set of tools to create apps specifically designed for the Apple Watch before the product even becomes available.

“Apple Watch is our most personal device ever, and WatchKit provides the incredible iOS developer community with the tools they need to create exciting new experiences right on your wrist,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With the iOS 8.2 beta SDK, developers can now start using WatchKit to create breakthrough new apps, Glances and actionable notifications designed for the innovative Apple Watch interface and work with new technologies such as Force Touch, Digital Crown and Taptic Engine.” READ MORE at Troy Media

Holiday gadget highlights from LD Tech 2014

London Drugs recently held their LD Tech 2014 conference event in Whistler B.C., where over 100 suppliers and vendors from a wide variety of areas showed off some much of their standard fare and also some of the new and exciting and cutting edge tech products that are being made available just in time for the holiday season. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to take it in and get some face time with some of the vendors and their products. And while it’s impossible to cover all of them, I’ve selected an eclectic few that had left an impression on me.

Sony High Resolution Audio

Having been an audiophile since the days of vinyl and less excited about compressed audio, I was ecstatic to hear about Sony’s new high-resolution audio systems. While CD was supposed to be an improvement over analogue, it’s 16-bit/44.1kHz sampling rate seems rather frail compared to the more precise and detailed 24-bit/192kHz capabilities of high-def. These uber-cool playback devices piggyback on any device you have and can effectively reproduce the higher definition PCM Audio files including DSD (2.8MHz/5.6MHz) and FLAC. And using its proprietary DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) it can upscale even compressed digital files like mp3 and AAC by restoring the high range lost during the compression process getting about as close as you can to the original recording. The Sony Hi-Res USB DAC System – UDA1B retails for $699.99 at London Drugs.

Read more…AT CANOE TECH BLOG